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Astros formulating plan for White's recovery

Alex White talks about competing for a spot in the Astros' rotation and how he's approaching the final stretch of Spring Training

By Brian McTaggart
/
MLB.com |

HOUSTON -- The Astros are awaiting more test results on the right elbow of right-hander Alex White, who sprained his elbow in Friday's exhibition game against the Cubs and was placed on the 60-day disabled list. He had additional tests on Sunday.

Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said that even though the team doesn't know the full extent of the injury, he knew there would be a long recovery.

"Regardless of the course of action, he was going to need to be not throwing for at least a period of a couple of weeks," Luhnow said. "And once you start to do the math of not throwing and getting back in shape an all of that, it gets you close enough to 60 days we felt that was the right thing to do and not rush him back."

The Astros had a relatively healthy spring until the final days before the start of the regular season, when White went down and outfielder Fernando Martinez went on the disabled list with a strained left oblique. The team feels confident with being able to have veteran right-hander Edgar Gonzalez fill White's long-relief role.

"We sought to go out and increase our depth, as far as pitching goes, and immediately we had an injury. But at the same time, Edgar Gonzalez has done everything this spring and he could have made the ballclub anyway," manager Bo Porter said. "It was good to have a person like that sitting in the wings, ready to go, that has pitched in the big leagues and we know the role which we're going to put him in, which is a long reliever. He's more than capable of filling that role."